Footsteps in the Bunter Sandstone of Dumfriesshire. 205 



It is on the fine faces and also on the intervening fine red clays 

 that we meet with the footsteps which have rendered this quarry 

 so remarkable. The steps on the faces of the rock are more per- 

 fect than those which the clay affords ; natural casts of these are 

 obtained from the underside of the sandstone strata, and these 

 partake of the imperfections of the impressions in the clay. The 

 cause of this imperfection appears to have resulted in a great 

 measure from the comparative thinness of the clay, which did 

 not allow of a distinct impression before the foot pressed upon 

 the less yielding sand. 



A quarry is also wrought at Templand village, about half a mile 

 south of Corncockle, and here impressions of two kinds of footsteps 

 are also occasionally found. The sandstone at this locality differs 

 considerably from the former, being of a coarser nature, the 

 beds are of less thickness, and the position of the quarry with 

 reference to that at Corncockle is such as to show that the sand- 

 stone of Templand village lies above that of Corncockle. The 

 inclination of the beds here is towards the west at an angle 

 of 30°. 



At Locherbriggs, in the parish of Dumfries, four sandstone 

 quarries occur in which footsteps have been found. The general 

 character of the rock in these is similar ; and the quarry lying 

 furthest towards the south may be taken as a type of the deposits 

 generally. In this the dip is at an angle of 35° W.S.W., and 

 the rock consists of thin flags, under which lies a more compact 

 stone. Beneath this compact rock two beds of thick flags occur, 

 and under them the rock again becomes thin-bedded. The faces 

 of these different beds present the same smooth and burnished 

 appearance with those of Corncockle, with the exception of the 

 faces which separate the two flags. These however are equally 

 smooth and well developed, although devoid of the burnished 

 aspect. On the upper face of this lower flag impressions of foot- 

 steps are found, and the lower face of the upper flag contains 

 casts of these impressions, and to these two faces the occurrence 

 of footsteps appears to be restricted. 



The new red sandstone is likewise extensively wrought at Craigs 

 quarry, also in the parish of Dumfries. Here the beds are of both 

 a compact and flaggy nature, the former occurring in the higher 

 portion of the quarry, and the latter below. It is on the faces 

 of these flags and likewise in the interior of the beds, as shown 

 when these are split along the laminae, that footmarks are met 

 with. Laminae similar to those which are seen at Corncockle are 

 also to be found in the flaggy beds here. The dip of the strata 

 at Craigs is towards the west at an angle of about 30°. 



At Green Mill in the parish of Caerlaverock, there is also a 

 quarry of new red sandstone. The inclination of the rock here 



